07/03/2026
We are relocating our alpaca farm to this new parcel in the Sedona area. We have already gone through the permitting process with county for agricultural exemption and agritourism permits.
For this first post I thought I would talk about some of the things we are most excited about & some of the biggest challenges we face.
For context this is a 10 acre parcel on a hillside facing predominantly east. It was used for farming in the distant past & has been terraced into 3 levels & then a 4th lower level with a large wash. There are mesquites, desert willow & juniper trees growing. And globe mallow, mullein, yucca and a massive amount of thorny shrubs that leave stickers in your shoes & clothing.
Challenges:
Walking this property you can immediately see there is old farming infrastructure. Cement slabs & cement troughs. Plus old irrigation piping in the ground and piles of trash and debris.
Demo of the cement and finding a way to repurpose it on the land is a top priority.
Also clearing all the weeds and marking paths to minimize impact. As well as thin out the mesquite trees that have become invasive & over populated.
Most people probably would have decided against this parcel because of the cleanup & topography but we see it as a golden opportunity.
Some of the the things we are most excited about:
Monsoon observation for sure. Seeing the wash flow & understanding its role in the community eco system.
And how does the water shed from terrace to terrace? How can we slow it and sink it before it hits the wash.
We are also excited about food production! On the lower terrace we are planning an orchard & a Mediterranean food forest.
And finally - we are most excited about the barn area. The barn will be the heart & headquarters for our farm, housing the mamas and babies plus a fiber studio, workshop space and farm store.
This week we start the cleanup phase!
Thank you for following!
